Farewell to Ted, the last surviving engineer from Churchill’s secret Whitchurch toyshop

Hayley O’Keeffe

The last surviving engineer from ‘Winston Churchill’s Toyshop’ has died aged 91.

Edward ‘Ted’ Daily, who lived in Turnfurlong, was the youngest worker at The Firs (MD1) In Whitchurch, under the direct control of Winston Churchill during the Second World War.

The highly secret operation saw operatives produce more than 50 inventive new weapons for use against the Nazis.

These included the kangaroo aerial bomb, the hedgehog anti-submarine device and pull and push booby traps.

Gordon Rogers, a historian and friend of Mr Daily, said: “Edward was a kind and genial man, he was not an inventor but was a very talented engineer who was involved with a variety of weapons.

“One particular thing I am aware of was his involvement with the L-delay fuse, an MD1 device that the war office instructed should replace all other fuses.”

After the war Mr Daily did national service in the RAF, where he was stationed in Germany.

He was then put into a job as a customs officer, afterwards finding work at the Oriole record factory in Aston Clinton, where he worked until 1987. Mr Daily met his wife Margery at a dance when she was 17 years old and they were married for 62 years.

He is survived by Margery, daughter Cynthia, 60, son Christopher, 57, and grandchildren Katy, William, Alexander and Clara.

Mrs Daily said: “So many people keep saying what a lovely man he was, but to me he was my lovely husband. He was very hard working and would always keep trying until he could do something. He was naturally gifted.”

A funeral service will be held on Monday at The Chilterns Crematorium at 2.45pm.